Worried about climate change? If so, the United Nations for once has some reasonable news. As Gautam Naik reports, a UN report this weekend has said the worst consequences of climate change can still be averted if governments act more quickly and in a co-ordinated way to cut back on the pace at which greenhouse gas emissions have been rising. The report reckons those emissions rose faster in the first decade of the 21st century than at any time in the previous three decades. Of course, getting the required action from governments remains a big “if”—the U.N. also recognizes tackling climate change is going to require some pretty heavy investment.

UKRAINE RUMBLES ON, HOPE IN LIBYA

Nearer term, there may be more concern about the situation in Ukraine, where, James Marson reports, pro-Russian activists have now extended their grip in the eastern part of the country. The Kremlin denies it is behind the unrest, but the U.S. and its western allies have said some gunmen seemed to be Russian special forces in unmarked uniforms.

But if the mood gets ever darker in Ukraine, there has been some progress in Libya, where crude oil production has been running at about a tenth of the level it reached under the toppled Moammar Gadhafi. Benoît Faucon reports that an oil terminal in the east of the country is on the cusp of loading its first tanker since Libyan rebels took it over, according to an official from Libya’s National Oil Corp.

GLENCORE DEALMAKING AGAIN

Glencore Xstrata, the mining and trading giant, is doing deals again. But the famously acquisitive company is selling this time, offloading its Las Bambas copper mine to a Chinese consortium for at least $5.85 billion. Glencore was forced to look to sell by Chinese regulators as a condition for their approval of its tie-up last year with Xstrata.

MARKETS

Crude oil futures were up Monday morning in Europe with concerns persisting over Libyan supply. You can read the Journal’s latest oil-markets report here.